#LENT2019 Day 9: Exodus 11
(For our lent devotional, we’ll be going through the book of Exodus with the rest of our church and be looking at the hand of God carrying the Israelites through their captivity and oppression as well as their sin and unbelief. Keep up with us as we look at how much God loves His people and never leaves us alone.)
First, read: Exodus 11:1-10.
Behind every open and closed door is the will of God.
The verses for today’s devotional are shorter than usual. It’s only chapter 11, which marks the end of the other plagues before the tenth and final plague begins. Moses has just huffed away from Pharaoh, and the chapter starts with God speaking to Moses directly after. God does not address Moses’ anger or his response to Pharaoh, but continues on with His master plan for the freedom of Israel.
And God leaves nothing to the imagination. He tells Moses,
“Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.”
God is clear with where He wants to go, and He lets Moses know clearly what’s going on. He then lets Moses know to remind Israel to ask their neighbors of their silver and gold jewelry, which Moses simply does in obedience to God, and there is no more mention of this for now. Without even breaking the sentence, the next thing that follows is that and God grants Moses favor in the sight of the Egyptians. It says in verse 3 that “Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.” And the neighbors comply. This is a continuation of certain Egyptians following the words of Moses for the plague of Hail— it’s clear that God has moved the people of Egypt to listen to the words of Moses, a jew.
Right afterward, Moses delivers God’s word to Pharaoh about the last plague, that every firstborn of Egypt, man and animal, shall die, and that Israel will go out with Egypt bowing down to her. He leaves Pharaoh in "hot anger,” most likely that it had to come to this because of Pharaoh’s hardened heart. The chapter ends with the record of Moses and Aaron doing these wonders in the land of Egypt and a note that the Lord hardens Pharaoh’s heart to not let the people of Israel go out of his land.
That’s the end of the chapter, which acts as a divider right before God launches into the final terrible sign of the death of every firstborn.
When we read through Exodus, it’s easy to focus on the actual series of events and what was going on in the world. But this Lent, what stands out is the move of God through all that had happened. This chapter points to the full control and mastery of God. It starts and ends with God’s actions towards the people to fulfill his great plan for Israel, and while the hearts of the Egyptians, who are the enemy and oppressor of the Israelites, move in multiple ways, the ultimate agent, the mover and shaker of hearts, is God.
And here, Moses continues to be extremely relatable. In one part of the chapter, he responds to God’s command with obedience, and reminds the Israelites to ask their neighbors, the Egyptians, their oppressors, for jewelry. This is a tall order that doesn’t make any sense. Why would an Egyptian give their slaves jewelry? Yet when Moses obeys, God gives him favor to do His will and lifts him up. Comparatively, in a later part in the chapter, Moses stalks off in hot anger that it had to come to the point where every firstborn of Egypt should die. It is a deeply human response to Pharaoh’s hardened heart— but God had already told Moses it would be that way:
“Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
Have you ever been frustrated at a seemingly impossible situation? Have you had wondrous things happen to you? Have you had unnecessarily difficult situations where you’ve come up confused as to why you had to go through it? Are there things that God is asking of you that you don’t understand, or are you going through a season where you’re being put through something that you don’t understand?
And yet, every door that opens to you and closes to you is within the Will of God, the master of the universe and of every heart.
As we reflect on God’s total mastery of the situation to go where His will is, let’s remember not to be reactionary and instead be obedient. Let’s reflect on how when Moses lowered his will and fulfilled God’s will, He lifted him up. And though it’s natural to react in our humanness when things spiral out of control and get unnecessarily difficult, let’s remember that even in these situations, especially in these situations, God is in full control.
love,
janedo
